If you’d asked me about a 'typical Dutch landscape' the first picture that would come to my mind would be of an expanse of flat (and I mean it, really flat) green-and-yellow fields divided into neat squares by polders, with cloudy and yet brilliantly blue sky overhead and a dark silhouette of a windmill standing up boldly against the horizon.

Having lived in the Netherlands for almost two years now I may still be a foreigner but definitely not a tourist anymore, and yet in my mind this country still equates with the 'windmill landscapes' – one of the most common associations people around the globe have (admittedly, in my case this may be biased due to the fact that there is a view of a windmill from my apartment’s window, so I’m treated to a 'subliminal message' every time I look out).

Yes, windmills might be the most popular mass-market theme for cheap souvenirs, but there is a reason why they became print no 1 for fridge magnets and china plates. I think they are, indeed, the most characteristic feature of the Dutch landscape - especially since they don't face much competition.

There are no mountains here, or even hills, to speak of (and no, the one in Valkenburg does not qualify as one, I’ve checked) and almost no forests. And the windmills have been a major part of not only the Dutch landscape but also of the Dutch economy for hundreds of years – they served to grind corn, to saw timber, and – most importantly – to remove excess water from the low-lying regions.

The latter means that some parts of the Netherlands would not have even existed without them. No wonder that even though, technologically speaking, the windmills are not necessary anymore and they’ve transformed into museums and tourist attractions, they are still there and hopefully always will be.

It’s true that taking a picture of a “real Dutch windmill” is an undisputable must for every tourist around here, but let’s not get discouraged by this mass-market tendency. There is something majestic and charming to these mills and they certainly look great through a photo lens and make for attractive photo models. As you can see on the photos accompanying this article, I’m speaking from my own experience here.

So why not spend a weekend on a creative windmill photo-safari? There are quite a few windmills scattered around The Hague area, e.g. in Leiden, but the two best places to visit which I’d recommend would be Kinderdijk and Zaanse Schaans. The first one is a UNESCO World Heritage site located about 25km from Rotterdam which boasts 19 different windmills situated along a river.

The views are amazing, especially on a sunny, clear day, but if you decide to go there have in mind that Kinderdijk is literally in the middle of nowhere which on one hand does enhance the views but on the other makes it a bit hard to reach.

It’s better to have a car or at least a bike if you’re planning to go there since it’s quite hard to reach by public transportation only.

The other place – Zaanse Schaans – is a bit further from The Hague, in Zaandam in North Holland. It is an open-air museum (thus really not recommended for a rainy day), a recreation of typical Zaanse villige from the 17th/18th century. A few of the historic wooden windmills have been relocated there, next to cute wooden houses with picture-like gardens, tradesmen's workshops, small museums and the very first Albert Heijn – but that’s already a different story.

Text and photography by Agnieszka Zakrzewska

I invite you to visit my blog The Creative Life at http://thecreativelife.weebly.com/my-blog.html to read more about creative life in the Netherlands

If you wish to comment or express an opinion about this article please e-mail the editor@TheHagueOnLine.com